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Contra Helicopter
The Contra Helicopter'Unofficial name. is an iconic support aircraft that has appeared in many installments of the ''Contra series. It is a military helicopter that generally appears at the beginning of the game to deploy the squad into the battlefield. Description A rather standard-looking military helicopter that generally appears at the beginning of the game to deploy the Contra units into the battlefield. It is generally seen from a frontal angle and slightly turned toward one side. In certain occasions, this friendly aircraft has played a more interactive role throughout the ongoing campaigns, whether it is by carrying the squad along a treacherous battlezone while they do their part by fending off any hostiles during the ride, or by serving as an impromptu platform which the soldiers can cling onto while fighting the enemy. In some games, the helicopter is miraculously seen reappearing out of nowhere at the end (usually after defeating the final boss) to save the heroes from what would otherwise had been a certain death, as well as sometimes being seen in the ending cutscene and/or while the end credits roll, carrying our heroes back to the base. Appearances ''Contra First appearance of the helicopter in the series. The aircraft is only seen during cutscenes (primarily in the Japanese version) and in the ending, where it is seen barely escaping the Galuga Island as it explodes. Super Contra The helicopter made its most iconic appearance in this game, being seen from its now characteristic frontal angle slightly turned toward a side for the first time and setting off the way it would reappear in most sequels. The aircraft appears at the beginning of the game, hovering in place at the entrance of Base Area 1 with a rope extended toward the ground, which the Contra soldiers use to descend to the battlefield to begin their adventure. In the NES port, ''Super C, the helicopter can be seen once again at the end of the game during the end credits, carrying our heroes back to safety. ''Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle The helicopter also appears in this Konami mascot game, although in a rather unorthodox form, as it is actually none other than TwinBee himself, another iconic Konami character and the main protagonist of the series of the same name. It is seen from the front and slightly turned to a side as its ''Super Contra counterpart. ''Contra III: The Alien Wars In ''Contra III, the airship has gone through an all-out redesign, looking much more aerodynamic and carrying a large missile with it, and plays a much more interactive gameplay role, mainly in the Air Battle stage, where it catches up with the heroes during a high speed chase and gives them a ride while they are in pursuit of the nefarious enemy battleship Dodriguez. Along the way, the heroes must fend off Sasaki, a rocket ninja miniboss. As the helicopter approaches the giant enemy carrier, it actually launches its missile with the heroes still clinging to it, allowing them to finally catch up with the vessel, where they then must carry a desperate fight high up in the sky trying to stop it. An infinite supply of missiles will then start entering the screen from the left during the rest of the encounter, which could hint of the existence of many more helicopters from the Contra Force, allowing the soldiers to have impromptu platforms where they can cling onto and keep alive during the battle. The heroes manage to destroy the battleship in the end and a huge explosion ensues as a result, covering the whole screen and leaving their fate unknown for a moment. As visibility returns, however, they are shown to be safe and sound, as somehow the helicopter managed to enter the scene in time and save them from an otherwise certain death. A similar scene takes place at the end of the game, as the helicopter manages to enter the aliens' hive from a big crater-like opening on the surface, right after the heroes have finally defeated their leader, Emperor Demon Gava. However, it is shortly revealed that the end of the battle has not yet been achieved, as the still living brain of Gava adopts an armored beast form and starts climbing up the tunnel in a last effort to stop them from escaping. Its attempt is futile, however, as the soldiers manage to keep it at bay and the monster ultimately dies. The credits then start rolling, showing the helicopter carrying the Contra soldiers back to the city for a well-deserved celebration. The helicopter does not appear in the Game Boy port, Contra: The Alien Wars. ''Contra: Hard Corps While the helicopter does not actually appear in this game, a new support aircraft known as the Air Police is introduced to play a similar role. The vessel, which now uses jet propulsion, still bears a similar design as its ''Contra III counterpart. It mainly appears in the Air Combat stage, where it gives a ride to the Hard Corps in their haste to reach a research center that is under attack. It reappears later, at the end of the Missile stage, where it saves our heroes from an almost certain death after destroying a missile carrying the alien cell. ''Contra: Shattered Soldier The participation of the helicopter in this game takes a ludicrous role, as the heroes can actually be seen running on top of the helicopter's spinning blades in a rather unpractical, yet still fun to watch way. Contra 4 In ''Contra 4, the airship is once again given a more interactive role. While it can be seen at the beginning of the game deploying the Contra units, in a scene reminiscent of its first appearance in Super Contra, it reappear at the end of the level for the second phase of the Defense Wall boss fight, serving as an impromptu platform the player can use their grappling hook to cling onto and allowing them to fight the upper core easier. ''Contra ReBirth In ''Contra ReBirth, the helicopter is actually piloted by none other than fellow legendary Contra commando Lance Bean himself. It appears at the end of the game, offering the Contra soldiers to hitch a ride back to Earth after the mission has been accomplished. Gallery Contra Helicopter - 01.png|''Super Contra'' Contra Helicopter - 02.png|''Super C'' Contra Helicopter - 03.png|The helicopter during the ending credits in Super C Wai Wai World 2 - 01.png|TwinBee playing the role of the '''Contra Helicopter in Wai Wai World 2 Contra Helicopter - 04.png|''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' Contra Helicopter - 05.jpg|''Contra 4'' Contra Helicopter - 06.png|Lance Bean piloting the helicopter and saving the heroes after the final battle in Contra ReBirth Contra Helicopter - 07.png|''Contra ReBirth'' See also *Air Police *Armored Chopper Footnotes Category:Aircrafts Category:Supporting cast Category:Contra characters Category:Contra 4 characters Category:ReBirth characters Category:Shattered Soldier characters Category:Super Contra characters Category:The Alien Wars characters